Forza Motorsport 6: Apex Coming F2P To PC

Forza Motorsport, the Xbox racing series from Turn 10 Studios and Microsoft, is driving over to our neck of the woods, though it’s had a bit of work done. Forza Motorsport 6: Apex [official site] will be free-to-play when it arrives on Windows 10 (via the Windows Store) this spring, unlike the full retail Xbox One release. I’m really happy, because Pip and I are fascinated by Drivatars and now I’ll finally meet one.

Forza, then, is a drive ’em up focused on realistic racing, sort of the Xbox answer to Gran Turismo. It’s shiny and has been on Xboxes since 2005, and this spring will come to Windows 10. Because Microsoft want you to see Windows 10 and the Windows Store, y’see. It’ll support DirectX 12 and resolutions up to 2160p, for maximum shininess.

And it has DRIVATARS! Microsoft might explain Drivatars as artificial intelligences trained by your own driving style. As I understand it, Drivatars are digital versions of myself trapped inside computers and forced to drive endlessly for others’ amusement. It’s Hell. It’s consigning part of yourself to Hell. But what if a lightning bolt strikes my PC and causes me – actual me – to be uploaded in place of my Drivatar? And if my Drivatar is a fragment of me, can I bequeath it to my niece to comfort and support her after my death? What if someone steals my Drivatar and uploads it to a robot with knives for arms? What if end up facing the Drivatar of a murderer?

These are important questions.

Turn 10’s Dan Greenwald calls Forza 6 Apex “curated and focused” but I think that means “we cut a lot of stuff out.” The announcement explains what’s in there, detailing its small lineup of tracks, but neglects to mention how it’ll be monetised. Silly Microsoft, forgetting details like that. Handily, Ars Technica had a chat and learned that while a third of the game’s cars will be free, the rest must be unlocked with fake money earned by playing – which can be skipped by paying real money.